Little Devils Stairs Loop

From the Skyline parking area, take the yellow-blazed Keyser Run Fire Road to the boundary parking area. Stay on the marked road and respect private property; at the boundary lot, pick up the blue-blazed Little Devils Stairs Trail. It climbs along Keyser Run until it meets the fire road again. Turn right there and follow the road back to the Skyline lot. The full Skyline-start loop includes more fire-road walking than the shorter boundary-start versions.

The blue-blazed trail follows Keyser Run beneath forest shade. Its early grade is gentler, then steepens through rough boulder steps, uneven rock and hands-on scrambling. You cross the stream repeatedly; reports disagree on the count because crossings and the easiest line change with flow. Water and wet rock make footing more demanding, especially after rain. Expect to watch every step rather than move quickly; most of the climbing is concentrated in this creekside section.

Small falls appear along the gorge, with the largest cascade near its upper end. After the last fall the grade eases as the trail leaves the creek and enters quieter forest. Keyser Run has cut this narrow ravine into the slope; the stream starts below Little Devils Stairs Overlook and eventually flows toward Chesapeake Bay. The cascades against stone are the route's strongest picture stop; include some of the rock wall to show the creek's scale.

The yellow-blazed road is easier underfoot than the gorge but long and less varied. One clearing opens east across the Shenandoah Valley. The route also passes the Bolen family cemetery, a stone-walled enclosure with an iron gate. Shenandoah's creation displaced families from land that became the park; treat the cemetery with respect and stay outside its enclosure. At the nearby Hull School junction, keep to the fire road for this circuit rather than adding a different connector walk.

NPS lists the loop year-round, with no reservation requirement, and allows pets on leashes no longer than six feet. The route is not ADA accessible. The park entrance fee applies even though this hike has no separate activity fee. No on-route food or drinking-water refill was confirmed in the sources checked, so plan to carry water for a full day. Cell and GPS service can be unreliable; keep the route and blaze sequence available offline.